Waning Moon ins, Lotus Inn.


    Perched atop a giant lotus blooming in the sky, this mystical inn often served as andmark for weary adventurers.


    Among the regr visitors, there was a gambler who frequented this ce.


    "That old man with the white hair? He hasn''t shown uptely."


    "Yeah. It’s been annoying. Whenever hees by, he cleans us out, so maybe it''s for the best."


    "Hopefully, he neveres back. Hepletely ruins the game for everyone."


    There was once a gambler who used to visit, but for some reason, he hadpletely disappeared recently.


    In a ce where gambling had be a major pastime, no one appeared interested in finding the gambler with a perfect winning streak.


    "Miss, it seems he''s nowhere to be found. Since that day, he''spletely vanished without a trace."


    It had already been two weeks since they started searching for the gambler, who was presumed to be Silver Autumn Moon.


    Without any progress, they hade to the Lotus Inn as ast resort to inquire about his whereabouts, but no one knew anything.


    "... This is troublesome."


    Jeliel touched her lips and stared at the inn with a hardened expression.


    People around her noticed her presence and subtly hid their cards or dice.


    It was Jeliel who had cleaned out the gambling scene here, and while gambling was now legal to some extent, her presence still made people nervous.


    "Let’s move elsewhere. It seems like I’m making people ufortable."


    "... Ah! Yes, ma’am!"


    The mages following her were slightly surprised to hear such a statementing from Jeliel, who never used to care about others.


    It was out of character for her to express concern for others so naturally.


    Jeliel returned to the VIP room reserved for the ‘Starcloud Trading Company’ on the top floor of the Lotus Inn and sighed as she sat at her desk.


    It had been about a month.


    Since the day Silver Autumn Moon came to rescue Baek Yu-Seol, Jeliel had been relentlessly tracking him, trying to uncover his whereabouts, but she had found nothing.


    Something was off.


    Before, at least some traces could always be found.


    Silver Autumn Moon subtly enjoyed blending in among people, and with a bit of inquiry, he wasn''t too difficult to track down.


    But recently, ever since a specific point in time, he hadpletely vanished.


    Jeliel unlocked her desk drawer, pulled out a yellow file, and took out a photograph from inside.


    Eastern Aether, Isthus teau.


    Celestial Dragon Cliff.


    It was said that this ce was once dazzlingly beautiful. It had been corrupted by dark magic and had resisted human intrusion for a hundred years, but recently it had beenpletely destroyed.


    In the photo, the Isthus teau, once the majestic Celestial Dragon Cliff, was now unrecognizable.


    It appeared as though multiple meteors had struck or perhaps a giant had trampled over it, leaving it utterly devastated.


    ‘They said that at least two sources of power, each above ss 9, were detected there.’


    Thest trace of Silver Autumn Moon had led to the Isthus teau, and it was spected that he had shed with someone, causing the destruction of the Celestial Dragon Cliff before vanishing.


    ‘Could he have... died there?’


    No.


    That was impossible.


    Silver Autumn Moon was a being who could manipte time. He was practically omnipotent. He wasn’t someone who could die so easily.


    If that were the case, then he must have hidden himself for another reason...


    "Miss."


    As she pondered quietly, her secretary approached and handed her some documents.


    "Professor Yeon Hwa-Ryeon from Astral Flower Magic Academy has sent a letter."


    "Ah."


    Professor Yeon Hwa-Ryeon was one of the high elf mages associated with the Starcloud Trading Company and was practically one of Jeliel’s close confidants.


    Thanks to this connection, Jeliel had the authority to intervene in certain matters urring within Astral Flower Magic Academy, the top fairy academy.


    She hadn’t needed to get involved until now, but recently something had caught her interest.


    [Ste Academy Exchange Student Program]


    The exchange student program between the human magic academy, Ste, and the fairy magic academy, Astral Flower Magic Academy, was an annual event and nothing out of the ordinary.


    However, this year, Jeliel took a special interest in the list of names.


    As she scanned the list of exchange students, her gaze stopped at one name.


    Baek Yu-Seol.


    He wasn’t listed as an exchange student.


    Jeliel knew that if she spent just three seconds holding her pen, she could easily arrange for Baek Yu-Seol to be brought to her.


    But she didn’t do that.


    Perhaps Baek Yu-Seol had a busy schedule, and she didn’t want to interfere. It would be better to meet with him directlyter and ask his opinion in person.


    "Oh, by the way, Miss.”


    "Yes. Go ahead."


    "I heard that Baek Yu-Seol recently entered the Pung Empire. It seems he''s on a mission assigned by Ste."


    "... Is that so?"


    Jeliel’s expression turned serious.


    It would’ve been nice if he had at least said something beforeing to the Pung Empire.


    Was it really so hard to make a single phone call?


    No. It could be understandable.


    He was living an incredibly busy life, one that was far more valuable than hers… A life of significance, unlike her own.


    In fact, she felt it would be selfish to ask Baek Yu-Seol to spare any of his time for someone like her.


    But still...


    ‘A brief meeting… Just for a moment…’


    Wouldn’t that be alright?


    With that thought, Jeliel stood up.


    Finding Silver Autumn Moon was important, but something even more pressing hade up.


    ———


    “Did everyone catch the full briefing?”


    me appeared bewildered at Deok Cheol-Gwang’s question.


    “What briefing?”


    When she asked, Deok Cheol-Gwang pounded his chest with his fist and said.


    “To understand the enemy with your heart, let your fiery passion explode, and crush them! That’s the best way to handle monsters.”


    “What passion? Where?”


    “In your chest!”


    “And you want me to explode it? That’ll kill me.”


    “A man has two sources of passion!”


    “I’m a woman, though?”


    “Passion knows no distinction between man and woman. I’ll share one with you too.”


    “I don’t need it!”


    me responded with a look ofplete disgust.


    Of all people, Deok Cheol-Gwang had to be the instructor for their monster-hunting mission.


    His personality wasn’t too bad, but hisbat methods were so reckless that no one wanted to team up with him.


    “What about you guys?”


    She asked with a weary expression.


    Ma Yu-Seong and Hae Won-Ryang nodded indifferently, while Pung Harang didn’t react at all.


    “I don’t care.”


    “That senior seems fun and great!”


    me couldn’t understand what was so ‘great’ about him.


    “Well, whatever. We’ll figure it out.”


    Stretching with a yawn, me took in the surroundings.


    Thend built upon the wind, the Pung Empire.


    Breathing in the fresh air of this ce, which was said to rival even the most beautiful fairy kingdoms, made her feel like all her stress was melting away.


    "Hey Pung Harang, this is your hometown, right? Do you have any good tourist spots here?"


    "Hmm! Yes. This is my homnd! I know a great tourist spot.”


    Deok Cheol-Gwang interrupted, pointing somewhere in the distance.


    It was a dark, ominous-looking cave that appeared extremely dangerous just at a nce.


    "That’s the spot."


    "... And what exactly is that?"


    "I don''t know. But it looks fun!"


    "Uh. Excuse me, senior..."


    How could someone be this reckless?


    me looked at him in disbelief, but Hae Won-Ryang stepped in to mediate.


    "We don’t have time to go sightseeing. We need to find the monsters, eliminate them, and return as quickly as possible. And don''t forget, we need to be prepared for any ''unexpected situations'' that might arise."


    "Ugh... Yeah. That’s true."


    Still, it would’ve been nice to have a little fun.


    If Baek Yu-Seol were here, he might have said, ‘Huh? Really? Should we take a short break? It might not hurt to have a little fun for a moment,’ and sided with me.


    "I think sightseeing could be a little fun too..."


    "Quiet."


    The only person who supported me was Ma Yu-Seong, but even he was quickly silenced by Hae Won-Ryang.


    ‘At least this party is top-notch...’


    Ma Yu-Seong in the knight position, Deok Cheol-Gwang, the powerful tank, Hae Won-Ryang, the best priest, and Pung Harang.


    With this team, they could probably take down even a Danger Level 4 boss monster without much trouble.


    "Sigh... Fine. Let’s finish this quickly and use the leftover time to rx. Hey local, lead the way."


    Pung Harang nodded and looked out at the distant city skyline.


    ‘... The air doesn’t feel right.’


    Was it because the royal session ceremony was approaching that he felt so uneasy just setting foot on Pung Empire soil?


    Even though Pung Harang was the heir of the Pung n, the strongest n out of the Seven Wind Houses, his position was precarious.


    As the youngest of seventeen siblings, he had little chance of iming the throne.


    Not only did heck any real im to session, but his position within the family itself was also shaky, far from solid.


    ‘... Now’s not the time to be dwelling on useless thoughts.’


    He smiled wryly to himself and followed behind me.


    —


    Ane di Pnche.


    The name ‘Ane di Pnche’ was a fake identity Ane used to infiltrate Ste.


    To be exact, Ane was her real name, but somehow her true name ended up being part of her alias.


    Even though she thought, ‘This is just how dark mages do things,’ she couldn''t say much since she was still a dark mage herself.


    "Ane. Get it together."


    Startled by the voice, Ane turned her head.


    A dark mage with a grotesque appearance, horns sprouting from his body, stared at her with threatening eyes.


    "Afterpletely botching your infiltration mission at Ste, now you''ve been refusing all missions. You''re not feeding on magical energy anymore either… You''re not thinking of doing something foolish, are you?"


    "N-No! That''s not it!"


    Ane hastily shook her head. It had already been a month since shest absorbed any human magical energy. After all, she had begun to feel conflicted about being a dark mage.


    She had hoped that by quietly staying out of the way, no one would notice her withdrawal. However, it appeared she was firmly under suspicion due to her previous mission failure.


    "You''ve been given another order. If you refuse again, the Dark King will be furious. Will you still turn it down?"


    "No..."


    Ane twisted her hair anxiously.


    Despite being in her forties, she had kept her hair in twin braids—a habit she developed because of the Dark King.


    It was ironic considering she feared and despised him more than anyone.


    "If I refuse... I’ll die, won’t I?"


    "Exactly. Any other dark mage would’ve been executed several times over by now. I just can’t understand why the Dark King keeps you alive. You’re worthless and without value."


    Ane felt a deep sense of doubt about her life as a dark mage, but escaping this fate was impossible.


    The seed of the dark mage was nted within her by the Dark King. It meant that if she ever tried to flee far away, her heart would explode, killing her instantly.


    ‘Just endure it a little longer.’


    Before leaving Ste, Baek Yu-Seol had said those words as he handed her a small talisman.


    It looked worn and tattered, appearing utterly powerless.


    But little did Ane know, the talisman was actually a ‘Soulbound Talisman of the Dead’, a mythical artifact.


    However, unfortunately, the Soulbound Talisman of the Dead hadpletely lost its power and was currently just an ordinary item.


    Ane didn’t know why Baek Yu-Seol had given it to her, but he had told her that if she held on and persevered, she could break free from this cursed fate that bound her like chains. So she would endure and fight on.


    "What’s the mission...?"


    "It’s not difficult. The Witch King has started moving. I don’t know why they’re suddenly wandering around, but it’s probably just a clone."


    "The W-Witch King?"


    As Ane instinctively grasped her skirt, the dark mage gave her a look of irritation.


    Most dark mages had long abandoned unnecessary emotions. A woman like Ane was nothing but a disgrace to their kind.


    "Tch, pathetic. The Witch’s current location is in the Pung Empire. Your mission is to find and monitor them. That''s the Dark King’s order."


    "C-Can you really trust someone like me with a mission like that? I’ve already failed previous missions, and I’m not skilled enough to monitor a witch..."


    Any mission involving a witch would typically require a dark mage of at least Danger Level 7 or higher to even attempt.


    Hearing Ane’s trembling voice, the dark mage smirked.


    "Don’t you get it? It’s a death sentence. Whether you die on the mission or try to escape, you’re doomed either way. Good luck, you useless dark mage."


    "Oh..."


    A wave of dizziness swept over Ane as she held her head.


    A witch... And the Witch King...?


    It was unbelievable.


    As a dark mage, even sensing the presence of a witch nearby meant certain death.


    So... They’ve truly abandoned me...


    Herst value was to uncover the identity of the witch and then die.


    Was that really all she was worth?


    No... It makes sense when I think about it...


    A dark mage who refused missions and hadn’t consumed human blood for a month could hardly be considered a dark mage anymore.


    From the Dark King’s perspective, Ane was no longer useful, so this was their way of getting rid of her—using her onest time before discarding her.


    Rather than simply having her heart explode, they would use her as a tool until the very end and then toss her aside. It was, in a way, the ultimate dark mage''s fate.


    Ane slowly turned her head and gazed at the sunset over the ruins of the Valcamic royal family.


    ‘Can I really be human...?’


    She clutched the talisman tightly to her chest and bit her lip. If only she could meet Baek Yu-Seol one more time.


    ‘... No. Think positively. Just hang in there a little longer.’


    She wasn’t dead yet, and there was no guarantee she would die.


    Forcing a smile, Ane clenched her fist and thrust it toward the sky.


    Had she only now realized that despair and hopelessness would only eat away at her soul?


    She couldn’t stop here.


    "I’ll make it work somehow! Let’s do this!"